“Air Raid” may add a new wrinkle to Maryland football’s 2023 offense

Maryland football’s offense may look a lot more pass-heavy with the addition of offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, according to quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. 

The Terps hired Gattis in March, reuniting the accomplished offensive mind and head coach Mike Locksley. Both coaches worked alongside each other in a 2018 Alabama offense that ranked third in points per game among FBS programs. The two will now try to recreate some of that magic with Tagovailoa and a promising receiving corps. 

“With coach Gattis, our offense is … more air raid,” Tagovailoa said. “It’s kind of more to my strengths as well as our receivers’ and [offensive] line’s strengths.”  

The “air raid” offense that Tagovailoa referenced refers to an offensive scheme popularized by Hal Mumme and Mike Leach at Iowa Wesleyan University during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The offense almost always operates out of the shotgun formation with at least four wide receivers on the field at all times. 

Originally looked at as a gimmick, the air raid offense has since taken over college football. It is designed to spread the opposing defense vertically and horizontally with a majority of the plays coming through the air.

Since Locksley came to College Park, Maryland’s offense has utilized a spread attack, but has also relied heavily on its run game. Redshirt sophomore running back Roman Hemby rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and scored 10 touchdowns on the ground last season.

But throughout this year’s training camp, Hemby practiced a new skill: taking reps as a receiver. 

“We put Roman out in the slot, we put him out wide to the field,” Tagovailoa said. “He’s running routes, as well as Antwain [Littleton II]. I think all our running backs are really versatile.”

Maryland has the personnel to execute the air raid with a deep wideout corps. Jeshaun Jones returns as the leading receiver from last season, and the Terps added Tyrese Chambers and Kaden Prather — two accomplished upperclassmen — through the transfer portal. 

Chambers is a big play threat who averaged 24 yards per reception in 2021 at Florida International. He displays physicality at the catch point and exceptional run-after-catch ability. Prather’s 6-foot-4 frame and long arms allow him to create mismatches against defenders as a red zone threat.

“Kaden and Tyrese, bringing those two transfers in were huge,” Jones said. “They’re great football players, but they’re even better people.” … “They fit right in with our room and they work super hard. And that’s kind of what we’re about.”

With Locksley and Gattis collaborating for a second time, Maryland’s offense will look to take a big step forward in 2023. As they did at Alabama, both coaches will opt to put the ball in the air and allow their quarterback and receivers to make plays.

“Us quarterbacks — in our room — we like to have the gunslinger mentality,” Tagovailoa said. 

Alabama had NFL-caliber talent at every offensive position when Locksley and Gattis last worked together. While the Terps don’t quite have that, they still have the opportunity to execute a dominant passing attack.